Cavaliers Take Game 1 of Crucial Series with GT, 8-6

The Hoos were able to take Game 1 of their critical series against Georgia Tech on Friday night, 8-6 thanks in large part to another great start from Derek Casey.

Casey pitched into the 8th inning going 7.1 innings and holding the Yellow Jackets to three runs on four hits and four walks.

Though the bullpen hit a rough patch and allowed Georgia Tech to get back into the game, Riley Wilson, Andrew Abbott, and Bennett Sousa combined to shut down GT and secure the win.

A big six run fifth inning gave the Hoos all the runs they needed by going up 7-1 into the seventh inning.

The win helped UVa’s chances to make the ACC Tournament by moving their record to 10-15 in conference. By virtue of Virginia Tech losing to Miami, UVa gained a game in the standings on the 13th place Hokies. UVa holds a 2 (really 2.5 thanks to winning the series and tiebreaker) game lead over VT with just 5 ACC games left for both teams.

The win also moved Virginia closer to Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, and Notre Dame, the three teams immediately ahead of UVa. All three are just 1 game ahead of UVa.

As for the NCAA Tournament, the win moved UVa up 8 spots in the RPI to No. 69, according to d1baseball.com. That obviously won’t get the Hoos an at-large bid right now, but a series sweep this weekend and another next weekend could move Virginia into the high 40s.